Dr. David Pérez II is an Associate Professor of Higher Education in the School of Education at Syracuse University.
Dr. Pérez’s research focuses on increasing student success in higher education. In 2014, he launched The National Study on Latino Male Achievement to explore how undergraduates employ different forms of capital to thrive at twenty selective institutions. This study was supported by grants from the NASPA Foundation, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and ACPA Foundation. He is currently conducting a longitudinal study, The Pedagogy of Student Success Project, that explores how exposing graduate students to anti-deficit research informs their practice as aspiring scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in higher education.
The American College Personnel Association and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators recognized Dr. Pérez as an emerging scholar for his contributions to research. His most recent publications are featured in the Journal of College Student Development, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, and a coedited book — Latinx/a/o in Higher Education: Exploring Identity, Pathways, and Success — which addresses the experiences of Latinx graduate students, faculty, and staff in student affairs and higher education.
Prior to pursuing a career in academia, Dr. Pérez served as a student affairs practitioner at Syracuse University and New York University. During his tenure in the profession, he engaged undergraduate and graduate students in residential leadership, peer education, and social justice advocacy. Dr. Pérez was a Posse Scholar and earned his B.S. in Human & Organizational Development and M.Ed. in Educational Leadership & Administration at Vanderbilt University.